Posts Tagged "restraint"

I happened across a great post on one of my favorite law blogs, ThePopTort, concerning the horrible tragedy that occurred on the Texas Giant roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. As most readers of this blog will know, a 52-year old woman was killed a few weeks ago when she fell out of the ride while it negotiated some kind of twisting turn at a high rate of speed. The original PopTort blog post really touched on two issues – the lack of government regulation and oversight when it comes to thrill rides such as roller coasters, and the type of riders that the rides are designed to accommodate. Since I’ve previously discussed the regulatory picture in Florida (or lack thereof) when it comes to theme parks, I found the elements of the post in the ThePopTort blog dealing with ride design most interesting. According to Ken Martin, an amusement park ride and safety expert, most of today’s thrill ride designers fail to properly take into account the increasing size of the average human — and especially the average American. It seems that most rides are designed to accommodate a 180 lb. adult – which is supposed to represent 95 percent of the riding population. According to the Centers for disease control the average weight for American males is 191 lbs., and 161 lbs. for females – which means that are a lot of possible too-large people riding the rides. According to Mr. Martin, this extra weight causes a lot more force to be exerted on ride safety restraints, and also means that ride restraints might not fit the the rider the way they are supposed to. Either way, the inconsistency between ride design and the size of the actual riders creates a potentially very dangerous situation which, in the Six Flags case, may have ultimately resulted in a lady’s death. If you have any questions following a Florida theme park accident or injury, call Winter Park personal injury attorneys Kim Cullen and Robert Hemphill at...

A Texas mother was tragically killed last Friday night when she fell over 150 feet from the Texas Giant roller coaster at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park. As a Florida theme park accident attorney I cannot help but wonder, “Could this kind of thing happen here in one of Central Florida’s theme parks?” Unfortunately, I think the answer is, “Yes.” Eyewitnesses told television reports that the victim simply flew out of her seat during the roller coaster’s first turn. Apparently, one witness told the Dallas Morning News that she overheard the victim complaining to a ride operator before her car left the loading zone that her restraint didn’t feel like it was holding her correctly. Reportedly, the ride attendant brushed the lady off, and assured her that everything was going to be fine. Obviously, everything was not fine. As amusement ride expert, Ken Martin, points out in this video, there is no national safety standard or regulation when it comes to amusement rides At least in Texas the state’s Department of Insurance inspects rides for safety. In Florida, our largest theme parks are exempt from inspection rules. No state officials are allowed to inspect the rides at Walt Disney World or Universal Studios Florida. It goes without saying that no ride like a roller coaster should be allowed to proceed if there is any doubt that a ride restraint is working properly. I would only have taken the ride attendant a moment to walk over and address the victim’s concern. Because this simple action was not taken, a family is grieving in Texas. If you have questions regarding a Florida theme park accident, please call Winter Park wrongful death attorneys Kim Cullen and Robert Hemphill at...